The invention relates to a process that improves the efficiency of producing aerated, gelatin-containing confections, such as marshmallows, and provides improved marshmallow products prepared by the process. The production of marshmallow products, including marshmallow pieces, marshmallow fillers, dehydrated marshmallow bits and spoonable marshmallow toppings can be improved.
Marshmallow is one of about eight basic types of confection. In the United States, marshmallow may have a soft or grained body, and may vary in moisture content and texture for various product forms. The basic composition for each kind of marshmallow includes water, monosaccharides such as dextrose and fructose, disaccharides such as sucrose and maltose, sugar syrups such as corn syrup and rice syrup, and a gelling colloid such as gelatin. Coloring and flavoring are added as desired. Although albumen and other colloids have been used, aqueous gelatin is typically employed as the colloid.
Typically, marshmallow is prepared by mixing the sugars and syrups with water. The resulting syrup is concentrated, cooled and then mixed with an aqueous dispersion of a colloid, such as gelatin. The mixture is then pumped through a beater, such as an Oakes beater or other aerating device, and further cooled. It can be formed into pieces of desired shape and size. Marshmallow products can be formed by casting into desired shapes in starch molds and by extruding and cutting into desired-sized pieces. The density of marshmallow is typically between about 200 and 500 grams per liter.
Gelatin is the colloid of choice, due to its ability to facilitate aeration and otherwise provide a desirable combination of properties including long string, freedom from graining, and good shelf stability. The same properties that make gelatin useful in marshmallows make it desirable for a variety of other confections, including candies and desserts. In all, it can impart pleasing bite and mouth-melt properties and give a clean flavor release compatible with a number of popular flavors.
Despite its virtues, gelatin presents challenges to its use in confections, in many processing contexts. It is heat-sensitive, hard to disperse and, as a result, slow to hydrate. These properties are often at cross purposes. Heating to enhance dispersion and hydration can cause trans-to-cis isomerization, which is characterized by a reduced enthalpy for the Ti transition (as determined by Modulated Differential Scanning Calorimetry), indicative of a loss in gel strength. All gelatin-containing products require that the gelatin be dissolved during processing, in order for it to be functional. Other dissolved solids, such as sugars, can inhibit the hydration of gelatin, which can result in decreased functional performance. Typically, gelatin must be hydrated separately from other formula components. Accordingly, the art has developed many different techniques for achieving the necessary dissolution, but all have limitations. In some processes, gelatin does not become fully functional, which can lead to a product that is soft and sticky, and to sugar syrup exuding from the product. Among other things, it would be desirable to reduce the amount of water necessary for dissolution and to increase the time a gelatin solution can be held, without any adverse effect on gel strength. It would also be desirable to find a way to decrease undesirable surface graining by sugar particles.
Exemplary of teachings dealing with solubility limitations for gelatin for desserts is U.S. Pat. No. 3,362,830, to Addesso. This disclosure notes that cold-water-solubility is a property desired for gelatin dessert mixes, in order to permit ease of home preparation. As described in this patent, this property is achieved by first heating a mixture of water, sucrose and gelatin (sucrose-to-gelatin weight ratio of at least 7:1) to a temperature sufficient to obtain complete dissolution. The solution is then foamed and dried on a belt, at a temperature preferably below about 130° F. (about 55° C.). The end-product is said to be “cold-water-soluble”, meaning that it can be dissolved in water at temperatures of from about 40 to 80° F. (about 5 to 27° C.). However, in the initial processing, boiling water is used to dissolve the gelatin.
In another patent dealing with gelatin desserts, U.S. Pat. No. 3,702,254, Cassanelli et al. describe preparation of a multilayered and multitextured dessert from a composition containing gelatin. The gelatin can be added separately to the mix, or can be incorporated in it by mixing the gelatin and some of the sugar in hot water to form a slurry, and spray-drying the slurry. The latter approach is said to aid the dissolution of the gelatin, when the dessert mix is hydrated.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,432,460, Zietlow et al. describe a process for preparing nutritionally fortified marshmallow products by utilizing gelatin as a structuring agent. The description points out that, while there are many types of marshmallow on the market, methods of preparation generally fall into two main process groups, namely extruded marshmallow and deposited marshmallow. They point out that, in both types, sugar syrup and a structuring agent, such as gelatin, are the two main ingredients. They note that the sugar syrup is typically heated to reduce its moisture content and is then cooled and combined with a gelatin solution to form a slurry. The slurry is aerated, and colors and flavors are then added. After aeration, the composition is extruded through a die to form a rope. The die imparts the desired shape to the rope. The rope is allowed to rest briefly to set, and then is cut into desired piece sizes. For dried marshmallows, e.g. dehydrated marshmallow bits, the process can additionally include one or more drying steps.
There remains a need for a method that improves the production of aerated confections, such as marshmallows, containing gelatin.